SAN MARCOS, Texas — Applications to secure permanent housing through vouchers in San Marcos were opened for the first time in eight years, according to the city’s housing authority.
The applications were to land a spot on the waitlist, which recently went down, and allowed the San Marcos Housing Authority to allow new applicants. Only 250 people were allowed to submit applications.
Christian Paladino said she waited in line for hours until the doors at the building on Thorpe Lane opened at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday.
Paladino is a new resident of San Marcos, moving from Louisiana. With a 10-year-old child and hopes for a better future, she assumed a new leaf would be turned once she turned in her application.
“I have lived on the streets,” said Paladino. “I never had my child out on the streets, and [there] is a possibility that I may have to have him out on the streets, and it’s scary.”
However, Paladino was told it would take years to get off the waitlist.
The Housing Choice Voucher program, also known as Section 8, is part of the federal government. Funds come from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
However, the San Marcos Housing Authority is an independent state-sponsored organization.
A spokesperson with HUD said it is not uncommon for wait lists to be months or even years long. The spokesperson noted that Houston also has a years-long waiting list.
When new applications become available, it does not mean vouchers are immediately being distributed – it means that those applications will be placed on the waiting list.
Executive Director of the San Marcos Housing Authority Lana Wagner said that all the applicants are entered into their system and wait for applicant approval for the person to then receive a voucher.
However, there is no set timeline.
Joice Berryman said she was aware of the lengthy waitlist and almost decided not to hand in an application for her and her daughter. But she said if any type of voucher became available, she would line up for one.
Berryman noted how an increase in rent, bills and the need to keep a stable environment for her daughter are the reasons she applied despite the wait.
“There gets to be a point where, you know, do we pay bills or do we buy food,” said Berryman.
Hannah Durrance is the Director of the HOME Center, which helps combat people experiencing homelessness or on the verge of it. Durrance noted the need for more resources and how the supply is not meeting the demand for help.
"We're receiving a lot more phone calls for people who are elderly, who are on fixed incomes, people with disabilities, single mothers with children who are calling, asking for services,” said Durrance. “And there really aren't enough resources in this area to meet that need.”